[At the... the giant."]
"Percy!" Mom exclaimed.
"I'm fine, mom," I said, half lying.
["Don't say... best friend?"]
"What am I, chopped liver?" Thalia asked.
Grover's eyes grew wide. "No! Of course not! That's not-"
Thalia cut him off. "I know that's not what you meant, Grover. I was just messing with you."
["Ah, Grover..."... the truck]
"We didn't actually talk much," Thalia said sadly. "I tried to get her to talk, I even tried asking her about the Hunt, but she only gave short responses."
[The tow... farther upstream."]
"Thanks, Percy," Thalia whispered.
"Of course," I whispered back.
"Grover, honey, I think it's better that you didn't go your way. You may have been able to get down no problem, but the others could have easily slipped and fallen," Mom said.
"I can see your point, I was just trying to be helpful" Grover said.
"You are helpful, G-man," I told him.
[Grover said... to her."]
"Why me?" I asked, suddenly curious.
"Because you're annoyingly good at getting people to open up," Thalia told me. "People trust you."
"I don't know why," I said.
"Because you're a good guy, Percy," Frank said.
"He should be, I raised him," Mom said with a teasing smile.
["She's not... the water]
"I like you too, when you aren't being annoying," Thalia said
"Well, I'm rubber, you're glue" I retorted.
"Kelp Head."
"Pinecone Face."
"Kelp-"
Hestia cleared her throat, cutting off Thalia. "Let's continue reading. Sister?"
Hera nodded and continued reading.
[As it... forgiven me."]
"For what exactly?" Leo asked.
I sighed. "You'll see."
["Forgiven you... next lieutenant."]
"Of course," Nico muttered with a hint of bitterness.
Artemis sighed. "I wouldn't have made Bianca lieutenant unless I felt she was right for the role and she fully agreed to it."
["But you're... have done."]
"Which is exactly why I did not let my Hunters come. It was too dangerous, too risky," Artemis said.
"We know, dear one. You care deeply about those who follow you," Hestia said.
[Zoe didn't... like him?"]
"Never," I growled.
"Believe me Percy, you could never be like him," Annabeth told me.
"She called you hero," Jason pointed out. "She's mellowing out."
"Percy has that effect somehow," Thalia said.
"I really don't understand why though, I'm no different than anyone else," I said.
"You care about people and you listen to what they say. You're patient and understanding, and that makes all the difference in the world," Annabeth said.
"If you say so. You're just describing any decent person," I said.
"True, but such a person is rare," Hazel said.
"Ugh. Enough with this touchy feely stuff. Can we just continue reading?" Ares complained.
"Patience, nephew," Hestia said, calmly. "Go ahead, Hera."
[Her voice... never existed."]
"That's horrible!" Piper exclaimed.
"Yes, quite," Artemis said.
["Why?"... "It's huge."]
"Not only did my three best friends go to the Smithsonian without me, but they went to the Hoover Dam too, for shame," Annabeth said, shaking her head.
"We didn't exactly have a choice," Thalia said.
"I know, Thals," she said.
"How about we stop by both places on our way to New Rome?" I suggested softly.
Her eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course. I didn't exactly get to do much sight seeing at either place," I said.
Annabeth smiled wide and hugged me tight.
"I love you," she whispered excitedly.
[We stood... United States."]
"Aw, you three do listen," Annabeth said with a smile.
"Of course we do," Grover said.
"You do have some really interesting fun facts," Thalia said and I nodded in agreement.
"Thanks guys," she said.
[Zoe stared... it is."]
"Way to make it sound like I was dead though," Annabeth said with a small laugh.
"I guess our pessimistic side was coming through," I said. "I didn't even notice my phrasing."
"Neither did I," Thalia said.
"Whoops," Grover said.
[We had... like that."]
"Did you smell Bessie?" I whispered to Grover.
He shook his head, "Not that I recall. I could barely smell the zombies as it was; there was just too much input to be certain."
[I didn't... good luck."]
"Really? What for?" Hazel asked.
"Superstition," Thalia said.
["Why?"... it up]
"Probably for the best," Grover said.
"Probably," I said in agreement.
["Let us... dam T-shirt."]
Grover, Thalia, and I were laughing hard once again, and a few others were as well.
"Seriously? That was your inside joke?" Annabeth asked incredulously.
"I guess it's one of those you had to have been there jokes," I said.
"I disagree. That is hilarious!" Leo exclaimed.
"It is!" Travis agreed.
Annabeth, Calypso, and Katie all shared a commiserating look of fond exasperation.
[I busted... right in."]
"We shouldn't have left you," Grover said.
"It's fine," I said. "It worked out for the better anyway."
["What's wrong?"... she was]
"Why was he there?" Jason asked.
"He was following me," I said.
[Bessie swam... the water]
"What do you think he wanted?" Luke asked.
"I don't know. Maybe he sensed the danger coming," I said with a shrug.
[I hesitated... was surrounded]
"Of course you were," Mom said.
"Just my luck," I agreed.
[I bolted... skin tingle]
"That's odd," Paul said.
"Not really," I said.
"I'm assuming this isn't some random mortal," Annabeth said.
"You'd be correct," I said with a nod.
"So who is it?" she asked.
"You'll see."
["To the... find it."]
"Mom?!" Annabeth asked, shocked.
"Yes, it was me," Athena said.
"Athena, not you as well," Zeus cried.
"My daughter was in danger," Athena stated firmly. "At least I was discreet about it, unlike Ares or Apollo."
"What about me?" Hermes asked.
"You showed up at camp, you didn't need to be," Athena said with a wave of her hand.
"Still, the ancient law forbids any interference," Zeus stated.
"My dad is such a hypocrite," Thalia muttered.
[The doors... the surface]
"Sounds about right," Annabeth said with a small laugh.
"What can I say? Getting separated from the group is my talent," I said dryly.
[I worked... their nose?"]
"You never did answer my question," Rachel said.
"That was you??" Leo asked, shocked.
"The one and only. All I did was blow my nose, and I almost got killed for it," Rachel said.
"Will you let it go?" I asked. "As for your question, no I do not, obviously."
"I'm special, and nope, not until it stops bugging you," she said.
[The first... a fork]
"I do," Rachel confirmed.
"Why?" Piper asked.
Rachel shrugged. "I get bored during dinner."
"That's fair," Piper said.
["Well, it's... ballpoint pen."]
"That wouldn't have worked, Mr. Jackson, even if Ms. Dare couldn't see through the mist. You simply have not been trained on how to control it and it requires a clear mind," Chiron told me.
"Good to know," I said.
[She blinked... in trouble?"]
"Who says those two are mutually exclusive?" Annabeth asked.
"Touche," Rachel said.
["Um, sort... my life]
"Thankfully, you seem to have a knack for making good friends," Dad said.
"On the other hand he also makes the worst enemies," Mom said.
"It's called balance," I told them.
[I heard... Elizabeth Dare."]
"We can call it even," Rachel said.
"Does this mean no more prophecies for me?" I asked.
"You know I have no control over that," she said.
"Can't blame a guy for trying," I said.
["What are... the exit]
"Well, how rude," Leo said. "You didn't answer her question, Percy Gotta-Go."
"I was in a hurry," I said, rolling my eyes.
[The cafe... completely surrounded]
"Oh, great," Paul said.
"We got out of the dam unscathed," I told him.
[Then Grover... and screaming]
Leo got a strange look on his face. "I... I think I was in that food fight," he said hesitantly.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah. I was bouncing around from home to home at the time, and at one point I had stopped at the Hoover Dam," he said.
"Huh... small world," I said.
[The skeletons... are bright."]
"Are you serious, nephew?" Hades asked, cracking a smile.
"What can I say? It caught my eye," I said sheepishly.
["Percy!"... is different!"]
Half of the gods raised an eyebrow, but otherwise stayed silent.
["Who says?"... the road]
"You hypocrite!!!" Apollo shouted.
"There were, ahem, extenuating circumstances," Zeus tried.
"Which are?" Dad asked.
"My daughter was asking for help," Zeus said.
"My daughter was being held captive!" Athena shouted.
"As was my sister!" Apollo added.
"Oh... yes... well..." Zeus sputtered.
Hestia sighed. "Let's finish this chapter and then we can discuss."
"Yes, let's finish the chapter," Zeus said, relieved.
"Rest assured, brother we will discuss it," Hestia warned.
["Man, it... the mountains]
"That's the end of the chapter," Hera announced.
"I'll read next," Zeus said hurriedly.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Hestia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh... no?" he tried.
"Zeus," Hestia chided.
"Oh, very well... Apollo and Athena, I am... sorry that you feel wronged," Zeus said.
"Zeus!" Hestia scolded.
"What? I apologized, didn't I?" he defended.
"Mother Rhea, help me," Hestia muttered, then said, "You get on your children's case for helping out these young heroes when you do the same, yet you don't see anything wrong. Read for now, but I expect you to reflect on your actions and offer a real apology when you're ready."
"Yeah, like that's ever going to happen," I muttered to those around me.
Zeus nodded and started reading the next chapter.
[I Wrestle Santa's Evil Twin]
"Pardon?" Leo asked.
"I give it a zero out of ten. Do not recommend," I said with a shiver.
A/N: Happy New Year!!! I know, I know, it's been a while. 4 weeks to be exact, and I'm sorry. I was lacking in motivation and I got busy. How was everyone's Christmas/Winter holiday? Also what are everyone's thoughts on the series so far? I personally am really enjoying it and give it a solid 8.5-9/10. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!